The Attorney General and Minister of Justice nominee, Gloria Akuffo, has said that although she cannot be categorical on timelines for the recovery of monies lost through the payment of judgement debts, all such cases would be reviewed.
Speaking during her vetting at Parliament House on Saturday, Gloria Akuffo however noted that, she will expedite work on recovering such monies.
“Mr. Chairman, as I understand it, judgement has been entered for the refund of the money. Efforts to recover the money have been inundated with many applications. My understanding is that, the execution process has been stalled with all these processes. I will go to office and look at it. That is why I said that I cannot make categorical undertakings that if you give me approval tomorrow I can retrieve the money because this is a matter which is subject to litigation. I can only say that when I get there, I will study the file and see how quickly we can recover the money.”
She further stated that, she will review all cases including the one involving businessman, Alfred Agbesi Woyome, when she is approved, saying “I will review everything that is on my table.”
Mr. Woyome, who has been asked by the court to refund an amount of Ghc51 million unlawfully paid him, is yet to repay in full.
Speaking on the controversial case, Miss Akuffo said : “I will put my best foot forward and when I get to the office I will look at what’s best for the office.”
Gloria Akufo made a similar promise to deal with judgement debt cases hours after she was nominated by President Nana Addo for the position.
Speaking to Citi News earlier after her nomination, Gloria Akuffo promised to deal expeditiously with judgment debt cases when she is finally approved by Parliament.
“Government owns debt all over the country…Where we know that there is debt which we cannot contest…we will immediately try to engage and find the money even if we have to reach terms. Sometimes these are left on the books, they are contested in court, sometimes they are not contested, judgment is entered [and] interest is running. I would want to have the complete list.”
“Sometimes we are flying the big cases such as Woyome, but it may turn out, I don’t know for certain, that there may be others that are also on the book, I would want to have the list of those, see which ones are contestable and which ones are not to the view of immediately resolving those ones that we cannot contest, and make recommendations for payments, and for those that we have a defense that we need to contest successfully to do so. But it’s important that we get to know the full list of what is on the books by way of judgment debt,” she added.
Gloria Afua Akuffo is 62 years old. She attended the University of Ghana and obtained a joint degree in Law and Political Science in 1979.
She qualified as a lawyer from the Ghana School of Law in 1982 and she has been on the roll of lawyers of the Ghana Bar for 34 years. She started her private practice from Ameyi Chambers, a firm of lawyers, in Accra and was a founding partner of Owusu-Yeboa, Akuffo & Associates.
Presently she practices from Blay & Associates. She is an Arbitrator at the Ghana Arbitration Centre and is also on the list of arbitrators of the National Labour Commission.
From 2001 to 2004, she served as the first female Deputy Attorney-General of Ghana, the first 2 years of which were under the Attorney General of the time, Nana Akufo-Addo.
She was appointed the first female Deputy Greater-Accra Regional Minister in 2005.
In 2006, she set up a Ministry of Aviation, having been appointed the first Minister for the sector. She is a Private Legal Practitioner and an Arbitrator.
She has two children.
By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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